M A I N   N E W S

11 cops jailed for 22-yr-old encounter 
Gurdeep Singh Mann
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 10
A local court on Friday held 11 Punjab policemen guilty of killing a fireman deployed at an ammunition depot in Bathinda Cantt in a fake encounter 22 years ago. Additional Sessions Judge MPS Pahwa held 11 policemen guilty of killing 30-year-old Paramjit Singh. The quantum of sentence would be pronounced on January 14.

Paramjit Singh, victim

Of the eleven accused, eight were present in the court and were sent to jail. While two policemen died during the course of hearing, one is a proclaimed offender.

A resident of Guru Gobind Singh Nagar, Paramjit was taken away by the police from outside his father’s flourmill near Bibiwala Chowk on July 17, 1992. The police claimed that Paramjit was a terrorist who had escaped during an encounter three months ago in which his aide was killed. Paramjit was also accused of firing at the police with his AK-47 rifle.

“The cops didn’t pay heed to Paramjit, who even showed his Army identity card,” said complainant’s counsel Gurjeet Sidhu.

Paramjit’s family was given an assurance that he would released after a house search. The police, however, didn’t conduct any search and instead took Paramjit to a spot near Balluana village at 9.30 pm on July 17 to locate his hidden AK-47, said Sidhu.

The police claimed it came under heavy fire by a group of terrorists at the site and Paramjit managed to escape taking the cover of darkness. Paramjit, who went missing since then, was declared as dead subsequently. The family said it made numerous representations to the then Bathinda SSP but to no avail. The family moved the High Court in 1994, accusing the police of killing Paramjit in a fake encounter. In 1996, the High Court marked a judicial inquiry to District Sessions Judge, Bathinda. The court submitted its report and found the police version doubtful. In 1999, 11 cops were booked for murder under Section 302 of the IPC.

“After years of wait, shuttling between various courts and spending more than Rs 76 lakh on litigation,” we have finally got justice, said the family after the verdict.

The case was pursued by Paramjit’s father Gurdit Singh and then by his brother Baljeet Singh. “The crusade of my father against injustice has finally been successful,” said Baljeet.

Paramjit’s lawyer said during cross-examination, the cops could not prove their claims. The accused failed to reply satisfactorily to questions on how no policeman was injured in heavy firing, how Paramjit managed to escape from their custody despite being handcuffed with waist of one of the cops and what was the need of taking an accused at 9.30 in the night to a spot to recover a hidden weapon.